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What to bring for a day out riding

Looking for a checklist of items to bring for a ride? You can start with this.

Motodeal
Riding Out

When embarking on a day’s worth of riding, taking along a few important items may not only make your experience more enjoyable but also save the day when things don’t go as planned. Some of these items may be essential for riding through various types of weather, for fixing a motorcycle when our bikes decide to be uncooperative or even to simply help out another rider when in times of need.

Preparation is key when spending many hours on the road on any given day, but the morning rush, from waking up to hopping out on your bike, can sometimes throw us off guard and have us leave a few of these items at home. If you’re trying to come up with a checklist of items to bring on a day ride, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few items to take along for your day ride. 

Essentials

Riding Essentials

Essential items are those important to any ride, no matter how short or long. Items in this list are almost always necessary when going out for a spin, and can be of great help during any trip. The first and most important essential is your motorcycle’s legal documents, specifically the Original Receipt (OR) and the Certificate of Registration (CR). In fact, it is illegal to ride without these items, and will surely get you into trouble if you cannot produce your documents when asked by persons of authority. 

A few other essential items to bring along would be your personal medicine in case you have medical requirements, your important devices for navigation and communication, and an adequate amount of pocket money for fuel, food, and emergency expenses along the way.

Related:
How to prepare for a long ride

Water and Snacks

Drinking Water

Once you’ve got your essentials sorted out, another set of items to take along would be those to combat dehydration and rider fatigue – water and snacks. When riding on our motorcycles, riders are often experiencing a rush of adrenaline. The increased levels of adrenaline are what allow riders to be focused and energetic throughout the ride, but this same adrenaline rush also reduces our feelings of dehydration and fatigue.

This is why many riders only feel the brunt of tiredness and thirst once the ride is over. While out on a day ride, we have the responsibility to outsmart our own bodies and make sure we are hydrated and well-energized throughout our time out on two wheels. Make sure to bring along a bottle of water and a few light snacks in order to keep your body running properly. A quick way to keep your energy levels in check is to also bring sweets like a few hard candies that you can take after or even during your ride. 

Basic Tools

Motorcycle Tools

Another important item to bring along would be your motorcycle’s toolkit. When out for a day ride, many riders often go through unfamiliar road networks, or areas which may be far from reliable service centers. As such, it would be important to bring a small toolkit for when attending to small repairs if needed.

More often than not, motorcycles are sold from dealerships with a proprietary toolkit, which includes all of the most important tools for smaller repairs. If you don’t have a toolkit from the manufacturer, it may be important to build one for your own use. Regardless, make sure that you bring a kit for your days out on the saddle. You’ll never know when you might just need it yourself, or when a fellow rider may be the one in need instead.

Related:
Essential tools every rider should have

Rain Gear

Motorcycle Rain Riding

Without any physical barriers from the elements, riders are quite exposed to local weather, whether in scalding heat, freezing cold, or pouring rain. As such, it’s important for riders to make sure that the gear worn and carried can accommodate an array of climates for a long day out. Rain gear is perhaps one of the most versatile pieces of gear a rider can take along.

It serves two very important roles: it can protect riders from a period of riding in the rain, but it can also shield riders from cold weather riding and can insulate body heat in order to keep warm. If you’re planning to head out during a rainy day, or if you’re headed towards an elevated area with cold weather, bring along a lightweight set of rain gear in order to conserve body energy and maximize riding comfort. 

If rain gear is a bit too expensive, consider other items like surgical gloves and even a trash bag, as they can still shield you from the wet of the rain and the cold of the wind in a pinch, albeit in a less glamourous package. 

Luggage or Storage space

Motorcycle Storage

While storage space is not a physical item to bring along, it’s important for riders to have an adequate amount of luggage for various items. For one, space can be used to store any of the items found on this list. Another great use of space would be for storage of different items you may purchase or find along the way, whether it’s local snacks from a far-off town or a few presents to bring back to your friends and loved ones.

Storage space can take many different forms and sizes. You can keep it lightweight by having a belt bag or backpack with you, or you can take it a bit further and go with a luggage box or side panniers. Having a decent amount of storage not only adds convenience to your trip but affords you the freedom of picking things up along the way for any reason under the sun.

Bonus: Miscellaneous Items

Misc Items for Riding

As a bonus to this list, there are also a few other miscellaneous items you might want to bring along in order to make your trip a little bit more convenient and enjoyable. Riders might want to look at bringing a power bank during the trip in case an emergency recharge may be necessary for your devices. Spare clothes would also be another great set of items to bring when embarking on a trip with unpredictable weather patterns – a spare shirt, spare underwear, and a spare set of socks. You could also a hygiene kit consisting of wet wipes, alcohol, and other sanitary products. Be sure to have your items and motorcycle prepared the day before, and don’t forget to have a good time during your next ride out.

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